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Supersurvivors: the surprising link between suffering and success
By David B. Feldman, Lee Daniel Kravetz. 2014
Psychologist Feldman and journalist Kravetz profile individuals who suffered various tragedies and went on to achieve phenomenal success. Includes the…
story of Alan Lock, who lost his sight to macular degeneration at the age of twenty-three but later succeeded in rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. 2014
Entitled: How male privilege hurts women
By Kate Manne. 2020
An urgent exploration of men&’s entitlement and how it serves to police and punish women, from the acclaimed author of…
Down Girl &“Kate Manne is a thrilling and provocative feminist thinker. Her work is indispensable.&”—Rebecca Traister NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ATLANTIC In this bold and stylish critique, Cornell philosopher Kate Manne offers a radical new framework for understanding misogyny. Ranging widely across the culture, from Harvey Weinstein and the Brett Kavanaugh hearings to &“Cat Person&” and the political misfortunes of Elizabeth Warren, Manne&’s book shows how privileged men&’s sense of entitlement—to sex, yes, but more insidiously to admiration, care, bodily autonomy, knowledge, and power—is a pervasive social problem with often devastating consequences. In clear, lucid prose, Manne argues that male entitlement can explain a wide array of phenomena, from mansplaining and the undertreatment of women&’s pain to mass shootings by incels and the seemingly intractable notion that women are &“unelectable.&” Moreover, Manne implicates each of us in toxic masculinity: It&’s not just a product of a few bad actors; it&’s something we all perpetuate, conditioned as we are by the social and cultural mores of our time. The only way to combat it, she says, is to expose the flaws in our default modes of thought while enabling women to take up space, say their piece, and muster resistance to the entitled attitudes of the men around them. With wit and intellectual fierceness, Manne sheds new light on gender and power and offers a vision of a world in which women are just as entitled as men to our collective care and concern
How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question
By Michael Schur. 2022
From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation , a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to…
living an ethical life, drawing on 2,500 years of deep thinking from around the world. Read by the author, this one-of-a-kind audio production features guest appearances by members of the cast of The Good Place . Most people think of themselves as "good", but it's not always easy to determine what's "good" or "bad"—especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more, so we can sound cool at parties and become better people. Schur starts off with easy ethical questions like "Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?" (No.) and works his way up to the most complex moral issues we all face. Such as: Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people? How much money should I give to charity? Why bother being good at all when there are no consequences for being bad? And much more. By the time the book is done, we'll know exactly how to act in every conceivable situation, so as to produce a verifiably maximal amount of moral good. We will be perfect, and all our friends will be jealous. Okay, not quite. Instead, we'll gain fresh, funny, inspiring wisdom on the toughest issues we face every day. How to Be Perfect is narrated by Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D'Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil, and Todd May!
Where things touch: A meditation on beauty
By Bahar Orang. 2021
Part lyric essay, part prose poetry, Where Things Touch grapples with the manifold meanings and possibilities of beauty. Drawing on…
her experiences as a physician-in-training, Orang considers clinical encounters and how they relate to the concept and very idea of beauty. Such considerations lead her to questions about intimacy, queerness, home, memory, love, and other aspects of human existence. Throughout, beauty is ultimately imagined as something inextricably tied to care: the care of lovers, of patients, of art and literature, and the various non-human worlds that surround us. Eloquent and meditative in its approach, beauty, here, beyond base expectations of frivolity and superficiality, is conceived of as a thing to recover. Where Things Touch is an exploration of an essential human pleasure, a necessary freedom by which to challenge what we know of ourselves and the world we inhabit
Canadian digital-marketing expert offers advice for integrating social media and personal branding into a new business model with the potential…
of reaching a larger consumer base. Offers examples of people who used Facebook, blogs, smartphones, and netbooks to successfully expand their businesses. 2009
The moral landscape: how science can determine human values
By Sam Harris. 2010
Neuroscientist and the author of The End of Faith (DB 62053) posits that science can help answer questions of morality.…
Suggests that the right human values are those that promote well-being. Discusses moral truth, good and evil, religion, and the future of happiness. 2010
Why Orwell matters
By Christopher Hitchens. 2002
Essayist explores the life and work of George Orwell (1903-1950), best known as the author of 1984 and Animal Farm.…
Discusses Orwell's political beliefs and the ways they were shaped by the times in which he lived. Challenges Orwell's critics and argues that his ideas remain relevant. 2002
The forest unseen: a year's watch in nature
By David George Haskell. 2012
Biology professor recounts what he learned when--guided by the metaphor of the mandala, the contemplation of a small part of…
something to understand the whole--he studied a one-meter circle of old-growth Tennessee woodlands for a year. Details the changing seasons' effects on the forest's plants and animals. 2012
The shallows: what the Internet is doing to our brains
By Nicholas Carr, Nicholas G Carr. 2010
Journalist Carr expands upon his 2008 article in The Atlantic Monthly entitled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Citing neurology research,…
he argues that humans are losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection as advancing technology changes our neural pathways. Pulitzer Prize finalist. 2010
Relire le relié (Essais)
By Michel Serres. 2019
Une variation qui prend pour point de départ les deux origines possibles du mot religion : relire et relier. Elle…
conclut des décennies de réflexion sur la synthèse et la reconstruction, dans une époque qui divise, décompose et détruit. Le philosophe analyse les textes sacrés et propose de considérer les problèmes contemporains à l'aune du religieux, qui relie les hommes entre eux.
The swerve: how the world became modern
By Stephen Greenblatt. 2011
Harvard humanities professor, author of Will in the World (DB 59294), reconstructs the life of Poggio Bracciolini, a Renaissance book…
hunter who rediscovered the lost poem On the Nature of Things (DB 37721) by Lucretius. Emphasizes the importance of Bracciolini's find and its impact on Western culture. Nat 'l Bk Award, Pulitzer. Bestseller. 2011
Idea man: a memoir by the co-founder of Microsoft
By Paul Allen. 2011
Allen, who cofounded Microsoft in 1975, traces the early years of the computer company and his relationship with his business…
partner and high school friend Bill Gates. Discusses his career blunders, ownership of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, recovery from Hodgkin's lymphoma, and philanthropic pursuits. 2011
The information: a history, a theory, a flood
By James Gleick. 2011
Author of Genius (DB 36181) and Chaos (RC 27005) chronicles the history of humanity's efforts to store, access, and communicate…
information--from Paleolithic cave paintings to early-twenty-first-century search engines. Discusses prominent inventors Charles Babbage, Ada Byron, Samuel Morse, Alan Turing, and Claude Shannon. 2011
It gets better: coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a life worth living
By Dan Savage, Terry Miller. 2011
More than one hundred essays and testimonials from celebrities, politicians, and others inspired by the It Gets Better Project, which…
sex-advice columnist Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, created to provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. For senior high and older readers. 2011
Steve Jobs
By Walter Isaacson. 2011
Biography of entrepreneur Steve Jobs (1955-2011) chronicles his childhood, education, entry-level jobs in California's Silicon Valley, 1976 cofounding of Apple…
computer in his parents' garage, and leadership in spearheading the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Discusses Jobs's personal and professional relationships and his 2003 cancer diagnosis. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
The best advice I ever got: lessons from extraordinary lives
By Katie Couric. 2011
News anchor shares advice and anecdotes she has collected from nearly one hundred notable personalities, including Maya Angelou, Beyoncé, Michael…
Bloomberg, Drew Brees, Bill Clinton, and Suze Orman. Contributors and Couric herself discuss courage, hard work, tenacity, and other components of success. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2011
The master switch: the rise and fall of information empires
By Tim Wu. 2010
Historical analysis of mass-communication media--radio, telephone, television, and film--introduced during the twentieth century. Examines each technology's trajectory from being free…
and open for public access to becoming closed and controlled by a single corporation or cartel led by Adolph Zukor, David Sarnoff, and others. 2010
Computing: a concise history (MIT Press essential knowledge series)
By Paul E. Ceruzzi. 2012
Smithsonian Institution curator details the invention and development of computing, from punch cards to smartphones. Focuses on four themes: the…
coding of information in binary form, the convergence of different technologies, advances in solid-state electronics, and the interaction between people and machines. 2012
The mobile wave: how mobile intelligence will change everything
By Michael Saylor. 2012
Software-company CEO posits society is at the tipping point of the Information Revolution, which he compares to the Agricultural and…
Industrial revolutions. Explores the history of computing and the rise of mobile technologies and social networks and analyzes their impact on entertainment, commerce, and health care. 2012
Why does the world exist?: an existential detective story
By Jim Holt. 2012
Examination of competing theories on the origin of the universe. Author gives equal time to divine interpretations of creation and…
scientific causes. Explores the ideas of Nobel Laureate in physics Steven Weinberg, Christian theologian and philosopher Richard Swinburne, novelist John Updike, and others. 2012